1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to animated figures, and more particularly, to a compact, inexpensive animation device for imparting realistic, life-like movements to the head, mouth, arms, and body of a figure or toy.
2. Background of the Invention
There have been known for many years various types of animated figures and toys which are capable of performing various movements in sequences and/or combinations so as to convey a life-like appearance. Such animated figures are often found in amusement parks, with more simplified animated toys being made available commercially in many toy stores or toy departments of various retail establishments. The animated figures often seen in amusement parks are generally of extremely complex construction, including many motors which facilitate the movements of various body parts of the figure (e.g., the head, eyes, mouth, arms, body, legs, etc.). The control of these numerous motors is typically facilitated by a central processor which is programmed to coordinate the actuation of the motors as needed to impart to the animated figure life-like movements. As will be recognized, these animated figures are highly sophisticated, expensive devices, typically unsuitable for the consumer market.
Those animated figures (e.g., toys) which are suited for the consumer markets are substantially less complex, and thus, substantially less expensive than the aforementioned “amusement park” animated figures. In this regard, animated figures that are currently available, such as dolls and soft toy animals, are typically provided with one or more motors capable of facilitating a limited range of movement of one or more corresponding body parts of the figure. The animated figures which include a single motor to facilitate movement of a corresponding body part tend to be less expensive, but are extremely limited in their ability to provide life-like movements to the figure. Animated figures or dolls which include multiple motors facilitating the movement of multiple body parts, while imparting a more life-like movement pattern and appearance to the figure, tend to be extremely costly due to the large number of motors included in the device, and hence, more prone to failure since the failure of even a single motor may compromise the functionality of the entire device
It would be desirable to provide an animation device which is capable of providing movement and motion in various directions for the head, mouth, arms and body of a toy; yet, the animation device must be inexpensive to produce, reliable, and have a limited amount of expensive components. In this regard, it would be advantageous to provide a reliable animation device capable of producing numerous motions while utilizing minimum number of electrical motors.